


Pathetic

by tveckling



Category: Dishonored (Video Games)
Genre: Awkward Flirting, Corvo is Enamored and Awkward, Emily gets a headdache watching them seriously, Emily got her flirting skills from Jessamine, Emily is a matchmaker, Humansider, M/M, Post-DotO, Royal Ball, The Outsider has a Big Crush
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-18
Updated: 2018-04-18
Packaged: 2019-04-24 16:51:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 795
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14359596
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tveckling/pseuds/tveckling
Summary: “Wow, you look… amazing.”





	Pathetic

Emily was still talking, hand on her father’s arm as Corvo leaned down, but she could tell that he had stopped listening to her. Suddenly he had frozen, his mouth hanging open just a bit while he inhaled sharply. His attention had clearly been pulled elsewhere, with such force that he didn’t notice her attempts to return it to her, and she looked around to try and see what had managed to captivate a man like her father to such an extent.

What she found made a, admittedly devious, smile spread across her face. Watching the nobles, somehow managing to sink into the practically nonexistent shadows, was the Outsider, a small crease between his eyebrows. Probably he was trying to make sense of the various acts he surely saw around the hall, and the thought of the age old former deity being confounded by the same people that regularly gave Emily headaches gave her more joy than she wanted to admit. She would surely have someone to complain with after this, she thought.

But it wasn’t just his presence that had made her stern and impervious father lose his composure. He had combed his hair, for once, and he had finally left behind those clothes he had worn as he came from the Void. They had become tattered since then, especially since he rarely wore other clothes, and while the shirts and pants he always wore instead were nice, they hadn’t been suited to a royal ball. It was a definite victory to see him now, wearing one of the outfits Emily had personally picked out for his use. It fit him even more than she had expected, clung to his body in very fitting ways.

She didn’t have any interest herself, but she could definitely enjoy the view.

“Father. Corvo!” No reaction. Shaking her head Emily wrestled the grin she wore into a simple, pleasant smile and waved the moment she saw the Outsider’s eyes glance her way.

“Good evening, Levi,” she said when he stood in front of her. Levi, after the Leviathan, one of the many names he was called. It couldn’t do with called him the Outsider when others could hear, after all.

“Good evening, Empress.” The Outsider made an impressive bow, his face a mask of neutrality—until he glanced at Corvo, and red immediately flooded his cheeks. “Royal Protector.”

Corvo, on his part, blinked and looked more like a fish struggling to breathe, with the way he closed and opened his mouth. Finally he managed to croak out a, “Yes, I… Good evening.”

Pathetic.

Emily caught the eye of Billie over by one of the walls and rolled her eyes. Billie raised her glass of wine in a salute then sniggered. Coughing to cover her snort Emily felt like rolling her eyes again as she noticed neither of the men had even noticed her attention wavering; they were too engrossed in staring at each other.

“So,” Emily said, clearing her throat and making both men jump guiltily, “you look nice tonight, Levi. Don’t you agree, father?”

“I- yes, you- wow, you look-” Some more wordless chewing on air. “Amazing.”

Cue both of their faces blossoming an even brighter red.

 _Pathetic_.

Emily closed her eyes, a dooming suspicion growing that whatever had been between her mother and father, it certainly hadn’t been Corvo who initiated it. The whole interaction was painful to watch, and while she had never blamed Corvo for the crush he so painfully clearly had developed she would really do anything to get them away from her sight. The longer she stayed silent and watched them try, and fail, at having a normal conversation, the clearer it became that she had to do something. 

“Corvo,” she said harshly, only to get his attention, then she softened her voice to a sickeningly honeyed tone that she knew her father hated—it was only another proof of how smitten he was that he didn’t even notice it, only kept glancing at the Outsider. “Why don’t you go and get Levi something to drink? Maybe take him with you so you can show him the various kinds we have to offer? And then you can tell him about the report you got today, I’m sure it would interest him greatly.”

“I- of course, you’re right, Em.” 

Watching Corvo struggle with offering his arm to the Outsider or not was definitely amusing, and Emily was almost disappointed when he ended up choosing to just gesturing in the direction they were going. The two of them walked, embarrassingly stiffly, both of them, with Corvo probably glaring guests into moving aside by the way one courtier almost leaped back. Emily shook her head. Thank god she had received her mother’s skill with flirting.


End file.
